Never been to Austin, TX: Please describe it (Houston, San Antonio: co-ops, buy)

[rickc007]

Originally Posted by Nomadic9460678748

Shame on you, Opal (read as sarcasm)! Don't you know you're not supposed to have anything but a positive, glowing, fawning opinion of Austin. If not, why not? And if you cannot when can we hospitable Austinites help you move?


Look at how defensive people get if you mention something as simple as the fact that there are BUGS here! Or that it gets hot. I'm not a fan of the low-paying jobs, heat, and self-congratulating attitude. And for me the music scene is bland and not varied enough. ......


I'm in the midst of trying to get my paperwork together to hopefully land a position teaching English in South Korea


So, for some people (someone like me, non-white, single, doesn't own a car, ...

Mine is not so much defensive as curious.
I Hated the weather in the North East, so I moved to California.
Turned out the cost of living, and other, wasn't my boat, so I moved to Austin
I've moved many many times

Just CURIOUS why someone who despises their area stays ... whatever.

Even more curious, when people say they don't like/want heat, bugs ...
or the music scene. I'm REALLY CURIOUS where else you would move.
I hope not New York, Florida, or California

But you indeed are taking action to find better,
Korea sounds interesting, best of luck

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by rickc007

Can you find me a place in American that doesn't get hot,
or have pollen and mosquitos ?

What town ?

Portland, OR

[rickc007]

Originally Posted by kagicre

Portland, OR

So I see .....

"Floodwater mosquitoes are bombarding the Portland area"
Floodwater mosquitoes are bombarding the Portland area | OregonLive.com



PORTLAND, Ore. - Summer’s here and so are those nasty mosquitoes.....
Make sure you're not breeding mosquitoes | KATU.com - Portland News, Sports, Traffic Weather and Breaking News - Portland, Oregon - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional



Mosquitoes Taking Bite Out Of Portland Summer
"PORTLAND, Ore. -- Summer has arrived in Portland but, along with it, came hoards of buzzing and biting mosquitoes.Workers at the Multnomah County mosquito control program said they've had a busy month because of the bothersome bugs."
Mosquitoes Taking Bite Out Of Portland Summer - Portland News Story - KPTV Portland



There are no mosquitos in South California either (wink wink)

[Cymbyz]

Send in the bats!

Seriously; if you have any kind of problem with flying insects, cultivating bat colonies is a good idea. Contact Bat Conservation International for details.

[cBach]

Sunny and 75 degrees on March 2nd in Austin. Need I say more? It is absolutely beautiful here, you'll love it.

[rickc007]

Originally Posted by cBach

Sunny and 75 degrees on March 2nd in Austin. Need I say more? It is absolutely beautiful here, you'll love it.

This ^

Glad someone else has been enjoying these days.

Been BEAUTIFUL here all week.

Thinking of my friends back in the North East still fighting snow,
and freezing rain, prepping for the annual March Blizzard

I love Austin weather :-)

[sinking]

Originally Posted by rickc007

This ^

Glad someone else has been enjoying these days.

Been BEAUTIFUL here all week.

Thinking of my friends back in the North East still fighting snow,
and freezing rain, prepping for the annual March Blizzard

I love Austin weather :-)

Then they will be laughing when it is 100+ here in the summer. I am dreading the summer and look forward to my vacation back to MA.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by Dianajoy

I moved from NYC to SA less than 2 years ago, and the only way I've survived is by "escaping" to Austin at least once a month. It is very hard to fit in if you are liberal, educated, physically fit and non-Hispanic. All the Mexican food here is made with lard, and is disgusting. There is all of one vegetarian restaurant, which is actually quite good, but 1 in a city of 1.2 million is pretty pathetic. I can't wait to move to Austin this summer!!

Obviously you're not choosing the right restaurants. You're talking about Tex-Mex, not Mexican. Most educated people know this. A third of the city is anglo, and the majority of people I met are college educated, not that it matters. Many of my friends happen to be Hispanic, and I fit in just fine. Ethnicity is not one of the determining factors when I choose a friend. I also don't mind picking up a new language. There are plenty of bicycling clubs, running clubs, gyms,parks etc. all around the city, so being in shape doesn't make you a freak in SA. BTW, SA voted for Obama, so obviously being a liberal does not make one a freak, either. BTW, I am anglo, liberal, and a native of MA. I've been here five years and have no regrets. I generally go to Austin for the live music scene, maybe twice a year. I get the best of both worlds.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by taphest

I have been reading other Austin, TX threads trying to get a feel for what life is like in your city. I understand Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, the people are friendly, etc. However, I need to know more. If you have lived in Texas and other states, please chime in with your comparison. We are from the Northeast; however, we are a military family so we've lived all over. Please touch on as many of these areas as possible when you respond:

1. What is a typical Texan like? Conservative, friendly, large (less large in Austin)
2. How has Austin changed (good/bad) since people starting relocating there in the past 5 years or so? Not quite as weird. That's a bad thing.
3. How's traffic? Horrible
4. Do you foresee Austin turning into the nightmare that metro Atlanta currently is with its growing population and lack of infrastructure to support such growth? No, growth has gradually slowed due to the recession
5. Is Austin a family-friendly environment? Yes, especially the surrounding areas
6. I will conduct my own research on schools, but rate the educational system. Eh...
7. Compare Austin to San Antonio. More dense, not as diverse, generally more educated, more expensive than SA
8. What's the weather like? Consistently hot six months out of the year. Cool winters, never really "cold"
9. If you are a transplant, how are you treated by Austin natives? Fine. Educated population, plenty of transplants here already
10. If you are a native, how do you feel about all of these transplants invading your city? n/a
11. Is there a substantial number of military retirees living in the Austin area? Some. Not nearly as many as SA.
12. Is the Texan culture (whatever it is) adaptable? It is what you make of it. No one cares.
13. Do North-easterners adapt well to living in Austin? I'd say so, especially if you lived in or around the city. Someone from northern Maine might have a hard time.
14. Is Austin a diversity-friendly environment? Yes, again plenty of educated folks.
15. What's the number one reason people leave the area? Weather, less expensive real estate, jobs.
16. What are the hot jobs/ career fields? Tech, health, education

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by sinking

Then they will be laughing when it is 100+ here in the summer. I am dreading the summer and look forward to my vacation back to MA.

But you have to admit this weather is probably the best in the nation right now. I'll worry about 100 degrees when that happens in June. Until then, we get a few months of weather that people in the Northeast/Midwest would die for!